Electric Plant raises $11.2M to translate plant electrical signals

In short: Electric Plant has raised $11.2 million to sell sensors and an AI model that tries to interpret tiny electrical signals inside plants.

What happened

Electric Plant, a startup co-founded by Justin Mast and neuroscientist Lee von Kraus, says plants produce subtle electrical changes as they react to things like light, water, and nutrients. The company places small sensors on plants using stainless steel screws that reach living tissue under the bark.

Those sensors pick up very small electrical readings and send them over a low-power wireless connection to a nearby base station. The data is then analyzed by the company’s AI model, called Bombadil, in the cloud (remote computers, like sending your photos to an online album to be processed).

Electric Plant says it has spent about three years collecting data to train Bombadil, and that it can work with around 125 plant species so far. The company says its sensors cost “tens of dollars,” compared with other plant monitoring tools that can cost thousands.

The company’s $11.2 million seed round was led by Onto Ventures and Climactic, with participation from Ponderosa, Endeavor Catalyst, Ludlow, Michigan Rise, The Fund, Schox VC, and Dug Song. Electric Plant did not name its first customers.

Why it matters

Farmers and greenhouse operators often have to guess what plants need, using indirect clues like soil measurements or camera-like readings. Electric Plant is trying to offer a more direct signal from inside the plant itself, like putting a basic “health monitor” on a crop. If it works as described, the company says growers could adjust watering and fertilizer schedules and potentially reduce water use by 20% or more.

Source: TechCrunch AI